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Save Food, Spend Less: Simple Ways to Waste Less and Save More
What if one of the easiest ways to save money and help the planet was already sitting in your kitchen?
Food waste happens at every stage of the food system, and those small scraps, forgotten leftovers, and unused ingredients can really add up. The Save Food, Spend Less Challenge is inviting Minnesotans to take a closer look at their everyday habits and discover simple ways to waste less food — and keep more money in their wallets.
Learn How to Save Food and Spend Less
A great way to kick off the challenge is with How to Save Food and Spend Less, a free virtual presentation hosted by Rivers Co-op Markets on Monday, October 5, from 6–7 PM CDT.
Led by Senior Environmental Specialist Hannah Keller, the presentation will cover practical strategies for reducing food waste while planning meals, shopping, cooking, and storing food. It’s designed to be approachable and useful, with ideas you can start putting into practice right away.
The event is free and online, so you can join from home.
Take the Save Food, Spend Less Challenge
The learning doesn’t have to stop after the presentation. The Save Food, Spend Less Challenge runs October 1–31, 2026, giving you the entire month to try new habits, track your progress, and find strategies that work for your household.
The challenge focuses on six areas:
Planning — Plan meals and portions to avoid buying more than you need.
Shopping — Shop with a strategy and make the most of what you already have.
Cooking — Get creative with leftovers and ingredients that need to be used.
Storage — Learn how to store food so it stays fresh longer.
Community — Share ideas and encourage others to waste less.
Kids — Get the whole family involved in building better food habits.
You can choose up to five daily actions and five one-time actions, so there’s no need to overhaul your entire routine. Start small, pick the actions that make sense for you, and build from there.
Why Food Waste Matters
Reducing food waste is about more than what goes into your garbage or compost bin. Every piece of food requires resources to grow, transport, package, refrigerate, and prepare. When food is wasted, all of those resources are wasted, too.
And there’s a financial benefit. A family of four could save up to $3,000 a year by reducing the amount of food they waste.
That makes food waste reduction a win for your wallet, your household, and the planet.
A Small Habit Can Make a Big Difference
You don't have to become a zero-waste chef overnight. Maybe your first step is checking the refrigerator before grocery shopping. Maybe it’s learning how to properly store fresh produce, freezing leftovers, or finding a creative use for food that is nearing its expiration date.
The important thing is to start somewhere.
Sustainable Stillwater MN supports the Save Food, Spend Less Challenge because it connects environmental stewardship with practical, everyday action. Reducing food waste conserves natural resources, saves money, and helps build more resilient households and communities — exactly the kind of local, achievable sustainability action we love to share.
Ready to waste less and save more?
Join the free challenge throughout October and find a few new habits that work for you.
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